ENHANCING TEACHERS' DIGITAL LITERACY: LOCALISED STRATEGIES FOR BRIDGING THE TECHNOLOGICAL GAP IN CAMEROON

Teachers’ digital literacy is a critical factor in integrating technology into education, especially in resource-constrained environments. In Cameroon’s Fako Division, secondary school teachers struggle with limited digital skills and infrastructure, which undermines effective technology use in pedagogy. This study investigated teachers’ access to digital resources, their digital competences, institutional support, perceived challenges, and context-specific strategies to bridge the technological gap. Adopting a descriptive survey design, data were collected from 317 randomly selected teachers using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics (means, frequencies, percentages) and the Kruskal-Wallis H test were used for data analysis. Findings showed limited access to digital infrastructure (x̅ = 2.64), moderate digital competence (x̅ = 3.11), and minimal institutional support (x̅ = 2.51). Challenges were rated high (x̅ = 3.57), including unreliable electricity, device costs, and insufficient training. Respondents favored school-based strategies (x̅ = 3.34), such as peer mentoring, partnerships with ICT vendors, and school innovation teams. Inferential analysis revealed significant differences in digital literacy across age groups (χ²(3) = 11.82, p = .008), teaching experience (χ²(3) = 9.44, p = .024), and qualification level (χ²(3) = 9.76, p = .02), but no significant differences by gender or school type. The study recommends government investment in infrastructure, integrating digital literacy into teacher training, and supporting localized strategies to ensure relevance, sustainability, and equity in educational technology adoption.